Geography

Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country and one of the two countries which has its territory on two continents. While located primarily in Asia, a small portion of Kazakhstan is also located west of the Urals in Eastern Europe. With a total area of 2.72 M.Sq.Km, it is the 9^th largest country in the world. Kazakhstan lies between latitudes 40° and 56° N, and longitudes 46° and 88° E. It shares it’s border in the northwest and north with the Russian Federation, in the east with China, in the south with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and in the southwest with TurKmenistan and the Caspian Sea. The terrain of Kazakhstan includes flatlands, steppe, taiga, rock canyons, hills, deltas, snow-capped mountains and deserts.

Population and land use

The population of Kazakhstan was 18.5 million people in mid-2019 as per the Population Reference Bureau. It ranks 64^th among the most populous countries of the world and forms 0.24% of the world population. The density of the population of Kazakhstan is seven inhabitants per Sq.Km. There are several ethnic groups in Kazakhstan, which include Kazakhs, Tartars, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Belarusians, Uyghurs, Azerbaijanis, Dungans, Kalmyks, Chuvashes, Poles, and Lithuanians. Of the total area, Kazakhstan has a land area of 2.69 M.Sq.Km of which 2.16 Sq.Km. is agricultural land and about 0.33 M.Sq.Km is forest land.                                                                                                                             

Climate and rainfall

Kazakhstan has an extreme continental climate with hot summers and icy winters, particularly in the plains and the valleys. There is great fluctuation in temperatures among the different regions of the country. Average January temperatures in northern and central regions range from '19 to '16°C; in the south, temperatures range from '5 to '1.4°C. Average July temperatures in the north touch 20°C. However, in the south, it may rise to 29°C. Temperature extremes of '45°C and 45°C have been recorded in Kazakhstan. Precipitation varies between arid and semi-arid zones, the winter being mainly dry. The rainfall ranges from 200 mm to 300 mm annually in the northern and central regions; and 400 mm to 500 mm in the southern mountain valleys. The average annual precipitation of Kazakhstan amounts to about 250 mm.

Food and agriculture

Agriculture accounts for approximately 5% of Kazakhstan’s GDP. Over 80% of the country’s total area is classified as agricultural land, including almost 70% occupied by pasture. Kazakhstan is thought to be one of the places that the apple originated. The region where it is thought to have originated is called Almaty - “rich with apple.” Agriculture plays a vital role in the development of Kazakhstan and the most important crops are wheat, maize, rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, sunflowers, grapes, melons, etc. Kazakhstan is one of the world’s six largest grain exporters, mainly wheat, which is exported to 40 countries worldwide.

Irrigation and drainage

In 2010, the area equipped for full controlled irrigation was an estimated 1.19 Mha, of which 96.6% was under surface irrigation, 2.5% under sprinkler irrigation, and 0.9% under localized irrigation. The Government of Kazakhstan signed a loan agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in 2014 to support efficient water use and modernization of irrigation infrastructure in Kazakhstan. The seven-year project was aimed at improving irrigation and drainage as well as the participation of water users in developing and managing the modernized systems in four most densely populated regions of South Kazakhstan: Almaty, Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan, and Zhambyl oblasts.

Water resources management

There are four major hydrologic regions in Kazakhstan: the Ob river basin, which drains into the Arctic Ocean, the Caspian Sea basin, the Aral Sea basin, and internal lakes, depressions or deserts. There are about 39,000 rivers and streams in Kazakhstan. Out of these, 7,000 are over 10 Km long. Surface water resources are unevenly distributed within the country and are marked by significant perennial and seasonal considerations. Central Kazakhstan enjoys only three percent of total water resources in the country. The western and southwestern regions are water-starved; there is very little freshwater. The Balkhash-Alakol and Irtysh river basins in the east and northeast account for about 75% of surface water resources generated within the country. About 90% of the runoff takes place in spring. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world. However, its water level varies significantly. The level and volume of the Aral Sea differ mainly due to irrigation development upstream. Apart from the Caspian and Aral seas, 48,262 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs cover 45,000 Sq.Km., with an estimated volume of water at 190 Km³. Eight Basins Waterworks Departments (BWD) have been formed in Kazakhstan, covering the main river basins.

Water policies

For the Syr Darya river, the existing agreement governing water sharing among the Central Asian countries (Agreement of 18 February 1992) remains valid until the adoption of a new water strategy for the Aral Sea Basin. Under the agreement, the part of the Syr Darya surface water resources allocated to Kazakhstan has to be no less than 10 Km³/year downstream of the Chardarya reservoir. For the Chu and Talas rivers, flowing in from Kyrgyzstan, an interstate agreement was reached with Kyrgyzstan in May 1992. This agreement addresses the water allocation issues between the two countries, keeping in view the total resources generated in the basin (including surface water, groundwater, and return flow) and taking into account water evaporated from the lakes and reservoirs. On an average, surface water resources allocated to Kazakhstan are considered to be 1.24 Km³/year for the Chu basin and 0.79 Km³/year for the Talas and Assa river basin. In 1998, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan signed an agreement for dams in the upper Syr Darya river basin, which includes provisions for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to share equally in the purchasing of summer hydropower from Kyrgyzstan (SIWI, 2010).

ICID and National Committee

Kazakhstan became a member of the ICID in 2006 and formed Kazakhstan National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage – KAZCID. Mr. Islam Abishev is, currently, the Chairman of KAZCID and can be contacted at